REPUBLICANS to Dissolve the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

[CousinIT]

H.R. 620 would completely change the way in which a business is required to comply with the ADA. Instead of requiring that a business comply proactively, the bill would place the burden on the individual who is being denied access. This bill proposes that after an individual with a disability is denied access she must first notify the business owner, with exacting specificity, that her civil rights were violated, and then wait for six months to see if the business will make “substantial progress” toward access, before going to a court to order compliance.

Business owners can spend years out of compliance and face no penalty even after they receive notice, so long as the owners claim “substantial progress.” By allowing a business an endless amount of time to become compliant with the ADA’s reasonable requirements, H.R. 620 removes any incentive for a business to proactively ensure that people with disabilities have access. Instead, the bill encourages businesses to just wait until an individual’s civil rights are violated before making any changes.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/9/15/1698875/-Republicans-seize-the-Trump-moment-plan-to-gut-the-Americans-with-Disabilities-Act

[riversedge]

1. OMG! What next!!

[Madam45for2923]

2. Donald & Hillary, twinsies!

[George II]

11. Yes, Hillary is worse than trump. Hope Susan Sarandon doesn't ever...

....need to use a handicapped parking space.

[lunamagica]

20. I wouldn't be surprised if she has a permit

[EL34x4]

28. Everyone has a permit these days.

At least it sure seems that way.

[loyalsister]

29. That is the commentary that drives support for this measure

nt

[EL34x4]

42. No, it's simple demographics. There's a massive number of Baby Boomers entering their 70s.

And with this comes health issues common to septuagenarians; bad knees, bad hips, shortness of breath, etc. They're allowed handicapped placards because they qualify for them but there are so many of these placards these days that they are practically useless as a benefit.

Next time you go to Walmart, see how many open handicapped parking spaces there are. Good luck.

[loyalsister]

57. It's the tone that most often comes from bigots

I hear that comment most often from people who think we're just in it for the parking and that it's an extra benefit that is robbing from nondisabled people.

There are even uglier comments directed towards people who don't look like they should be eligible for accessible parking.

Thanks for the explanation. I hear so many comments about how unfair it is to the majority that there are any standards or policies that make the environment just a little more inclusive that I am overly sensitive sometimes.

[Jim Beard]

38. I used to feel that way until I needed a closer spot because of COPD and heart failure.

Actually, I still feel that way because I can never find a parking place close to the door.
There are too many cheaters.

I do OK if I walk slow but after a while, time takes over and I have to set down and maybe I can make it to the car.
If I can't get a good place, I just do it later or use Amazon.

[procon]

56. Same here, can't breathe, and the so called handicapped slots are often

farther away than some of the regular parking places. Stores seem to like grouping the handicap parking places in one bunch, makes no sense when there might be spots much closer, and its such a simple fix that would keep me coming back. Like you, I am finding myself using Amazon more often because the shopping centers aren't very accommodating to people with disabilities.

[MoonRiver]

44. Try having spinal fusion surgery and 2 hip replacements,

all within 2 years, and then talk to me about everybody having a handicapped permit! A whole lot of us need these permits to patronize businesses. Otherwise we stay home and do all our shopping online.

[EL34x4]

47. I'm not passing judgment, just making an observation.

For various reasons, the number of handicapped parking permits are growing.

[MoonRiver]

48. The US population is aging and living longer. n/t

[ellie]

41. I know!

They are practically the same person.

/s

[MFM008]

55. I know

so much alike.
Im sure one of the FIRST things she would have dome would be eliminate the ADA....................................

[treestar]

59. Indeed!

And the Democrats are just as bad as the Republicans, and surely, a Democratic Congress would have brought up just the same bill!!

[MontanaMama]

3. Make no mistake,

the KGOP will eventually come for all of us. Nobody is safe. Unless you are a wealthy white male or a fetus...you. are. screwed.

[gilpo]

8. Not disagreeing that nobody is safe from Republicans

but half the cosponsors are Dems. It's disheartening to see so many D's in the list of cosponsors

[gilpo]

9. Here's the list

Cosponsors: H.R.620 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)

Sponsor: Rep. Poe, Ted [R-TX-2]

* = Original cosponsor

Cosponsor Date Cosponsored
Rep. Roby, Martha [R-AL-2] 06/15/2017
Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] 05/22/2017
Rep. Sinema, Kyrsten [D-AZ-9] 03/29/2017
Rep. Aguilar, Pete [D-CA-31] 02/27/2017
Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-7]* 01/24/2017
Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-42]* 01/24/2017
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] 03/22/2017
Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-16] 08/08/2017
Rep. Denham, Jeff [R-CA-10] 03/28/2017
Rep. Issa, Darrell E. [R-CA-49] 04/05/2017
Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52]* 01/24/2017
Rep. Speier, Jackie [D-CA-14]* 01/24/2017
Rep. Coffman, Mike [R-CO-6] 05/22/2017
Rep. Collins, Doug [R-GA-9] 03/22/2017
Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11] 03/28/2017
Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1] 05/19/2017
Rep. Abraham, Ralph Lee [R-LA-5] 02/27/2017
Rep. Mitchell, Paul [R-MI-10] 03/29/2017
Rep. Emmer, Tom [R-MN-6] 05/19/2017
Rep. Russell, Steve [R-OK-5] 07/26/2017
Rep. Conaway, K. Michael [R-TX-11]* 01/24/2017
Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] 07/26/2017
Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21] 08/08/2017
SEPTEMBER 7, 2017 12:26 PM

[kimbutgar]

14. We must make sure the Democrats on this list withdraw their support.

I am disgusted to see Jackie Spier on this list.

[lunamagica]

22. All the Democrats on this thist need to be told that this is unaceptable

[Jim Beard]

39. There is no reason in hell for Texas hispanic representative Henry Cullar to back this.

He represents the South Texas border to the edge of San Antonio ...

From a 9-14 twitter.....

""It was great to speak w/@RepTomReed on @FoxNews to discuss how D's & R’s are working for solutions in Washington: bit.ly/2fkWvm7""

[emulatorloo]

4. "Donald Trumps Properties Were Sued At Least Eight Times For Disabilities Violations"

Donald Trump’s Properties Were Sued At Least Eight Times For Disabilities Violations
Trump dragged some cases out for years.
By Ben Walsh 9/23/16

At least eight times over the last 19 years, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s properties have been subject to lawsuits for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, court records show. Additionally, a federal inspection found ADA violations at one of his properties.

Only once did Trump come close to winning, in a suit that was dismissed at the request of both sides. Five of the cases were settled, while two ended in consent decrees requiring building modifications and one met its end in a Trump property bankruptcy.

When a disabled Purple Heart veteran filed a lawsuit in 2004 alleging that the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York lacked proper handicapped-accessible emergency exits, guest rooms and restrooms, Trump dragged the case out for three years. He tried to get the lawsuit dismissed and counter-sued his own architects to try and shift liability to them, but a judge dismissed that attempt. Trump eventually settled and agreed to make changes to the hotel.

“What was so striking and frankly appalling was the way he tried to fight [the violations],” said Helena Berger, the president and CEO of the nonprofit American Association of People with Disabilities. “That, I think, is really telling.”

Much more at link....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-disabilities-violations_us_57e44c0be4b08d73b8307075


-------------
Thanks for your thread. Republicans trying to destroy the ADA is despicable. Reccing to get your op to the Greatest Page.

[lindysalsagal]

5. This is yet another fight that will be moved to the local level: To the schools.

This is how they abdicate their responsibilities while keeping all of the power and profits: Just dump immigration, ecology, healthcare, poverty, racism, and now, even special education on the locals who really lack the ability to defend the vulnerable.

If this passes, local school administrators will have angry parents at the gates, with no one to lay down the legal responsibilities or liimitations: It will be a case of, "In my sister's (cousin's, friend's) school they offer x,y,z. Why don't you???"

[Fatemah2774]

6. Have these idiots no shame?

Decency, morality, good sense, all are absent in their minds and hearts.

I wonder if they even send Mother's Day cards to their mothers or if they feel they bore the brunt of the labor used to expel them from the womb.

[ismnotwasm]

7. This is fucked up

In countries without protections for disabilities--Russia say--you have 5 story buildings with inadequate elevators or none at all. The disabled become home bound.

[former9thward]

32. Why single out Russia?

Most people who travel know that most countries are this way. Most countries of Europe, Asia and North and South America.

[ismnotwasm]

34. Because I know Russian immigrants and we had more than one discussion about it

It seemed apropos.

[maveric]

10. Are we nazis yet?

Part of tRumps final solution.
Sorry. That's all that I can think of after reading this.

[crosinski]

33. We're something brand new.

Historians will have to think up a whole new word to describe us.

[Corvo Bianco]

12. So kids in wheelchairs shouldn't go out? Go to school?

The GOP are monsters.

Edit: Just saw all the Dems sponsoring this. May they burn in hell.

[kimbutgar]

13. There is a special place in hell for any rethug who votes for this!

It's not just liberals who have disabilities. A whole lot of rethugs live on disability payments and are disabled and need accomodations. Just when I think rethugs can't go any lower they go lower..

[Initech]

16. They reach new depths on a daily basis.

They can't ever again say we don't care about America. They've clearly disrespected the presidency and now they're going after every safety net we hold dear. They're like locusts - they destroy and ruin everything in their path.

[33taw]

18. From the looks of the co-sponsors of the bill - we have democrats to fear as well.

[smirkymonkey]

50. Every single effing day they do something that is despicable.

How do these people live with themselves? I really hope there is such a thing as Karma and that it happens in this life.

[Initech]

15. It just gets worse and worse!!!

Is there anything sacred to these fucking assholes????

[JDC]

17. I wonder if any of our veterans utilize these protections

Does support the troops mean anything other than lip service?

Let alone the countless others...

This makes me ashamed.

[jmowreader]

36. "Support the troops" is a stick to beat Democrats with

If they feel you're not being sufficiently patriotic (hint: only Republicans can be patriotic) they will whack you upside the head with "you don't support the troops." Support the troops, asshole? Fuck you, I AM the troops. Let's see your veterans ID card.

But when it comes to properly funding the VA, figuring out some way to keep these guys from committing suicide at such an alarming rate, or even just evaluating all the jobs the military has with an eye to getting people hired doing what the government already spent all that money to train them for...oh no, we can't do that, Charles Koch really needs his taxes cut.

[lunamagica]

19. I should't be shocked by this but I am! How can they be so EVIL!!!

[lunamagica]

21. K&R. for visibility. It's sad that this thread isn't getting more response

[oppressedproletarian]

23. Just when you think it cannot possibly

get any worse...over and over and over again...

[Lifelong Protester]

24. Pure evil.

Period.

[Lucky Luciano]

25. I expect the thugs to be on board with this, but the democrats on board must explain. nt

[EL34x4]

43. Compliance with the ADA makes is difficult to build affordable housing.

This could explain why Democrats are on board.

[Autumn]

52. As long as it's affordable to some being inaccessible to others is A-OK with Dems now?

[Doreen]

26. With this crap going on it will soon be legal to

deny access to service animals. Once again making disabled people rely on others for absolutely everything.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

27. The fellow behind that was Justin Dart.

Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. (August 29, 1930 – June 22, 2002) was an American activist and advocate for people with disabilities. He helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), and is regarded as the "Godfather of the ADA"; although he never reckoned that the cognitively disabled were truly disabled.
....

Background

Dart came from a wealthy Chicago family. His father, Justin Whitlock Dart Sr., was president of Dart Industries. His mother Ruth Walgreen Dart was the daughter of Walgreen founder Charles R. Walgreen and his wife Myrtle Walgreen. Justin's brother Peter Dart also developed polio.

Dart contracted polio in 1948 before entering the University of Houston, where he earned undergraduate degrees in history and education in 1954; however, the university refused to give him a teaching certificate because of his disability. The university is now home to the Justin Dart Jr. Center for Students with Disabilities, a facility designed for students who have any type of temporary or permanent health impairment, physical limitation, psychiatric disorder, or learning disability.
....

Activism

....
He opposed the efforts of President Ronald Reagan, a personal friend of the Dart family, to revise the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and in 1981 accepted an appointment from President Reagan to be the vice-chair of the National Council on Disability.

[chia]

30. Classic 'watch the other hand.' So many are busy watching the Chump instead of the deconstruction

The "deconstruction of the administrative state" - Bannon's goal - is being carried out while the media's distracted by the Trump trainwreck.

[gohuskies]

31. Any Congress critter that supports this bill needs to be voted out

Unbelievable that they are pushing these deplorable bills rather than doing the morally right things for the good of Americasn society. All democrats in particular need to be out in notice with a Democrat who will do the right thing. This is just one more blatant overreach by the extremists in congress.

[UTUSN]

35. Have the dear B.F.E.E heard about this?!1

[Leith]

37. Well, It Looked Like Congress Enjoyed Clips on TV

Showing people dragged out of wheelchairs by police. We may very well see it again because of this.

Why the hell don't they ever learn?!

[DonCoquixote]

40. watch this affect seniors

as many of them will be hit, screw us young disabled, but the trump voting seniors who think trump offers them a retirment in florida will get a rude shock.

[Demsrule86]

45. And the hits keep coming...with this disaster we call a presidential term...and with the

evil GOP in charge.

[onenote]

46. Why the hell does this bill have Democratic co-sponsors?

n/t

[williesgirl]

49. We should all call each of these Dems office tomorrow and

Tell them what we think. Start petitions from those of us who live in these Dems' states threatening primaries if they don't withdraw their support for this bill.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

51. I am frequently grateful

that I have no impairments.

Sometimes even the handicapped parking spaces are just far enough away from the entrance to a business that I wonder how some people who need them can manage. I do realize that needing to walk twenty or thirty feet is still vastly better than a hundred feet or more.

That said, there are those who abuse the placards. Someone who actually needs it could probably come up with sensible ways to weed out those who don't.

And gutting the ADA is hardly the right thing to do.

[csziggy]

53. When I had my temporary handicap permit

And found a vehicle without one parked in a handicapped space, I would stand behind it, pull a pad out of my purse and conspicuously and slowly write down the license plate while leaning on my walker. More than once, someone would run out of the place of business, apologize for using the space "for just a second" and pull out. I kept those notes with the license numbers, description of the vehicles, date, time and location. I never caught one twice - if I had, I would have called in and reported them to the police.

Fortunately my handicap at that point was temporary - once I got my knees replaced I could walk around. Now I sort of need another - I am looking a open heart surgery in the near future - but at this point my husband does most of the driving for me and drops me off close to the door so I don't have to walk far.

[ThoughtCriminal]

54. It's the parking space thing isn't it?

They really want those spots.

[ananda]

58. The Reeps have turned into a mean group of unchristian subhumans!

ugghhh